Races of Phaeselis
The following information is very much useful when creating characters in a Phaeselis campaign. Unless otherwise mentioned, use the core rules for all character creation details. As always, the DM is the final arbiter of what is allowed in your game. Dominate Races Humans Humans are represented by four dominate cultures in the City. The Hellenes — which is an Amalgam of Ancient Greeks after the City State Era. The Phoenicians — which are a mirror of ancient Hebrew culture; the Vedic Aryavartans — which are represented by Indian culture. And finally the Archmeniads — which is represented by Ancient Persian culture. There are a smattering of other cultures in the city of course. :) This is the humans’ planet, so all humans tend to be slightly Ethno-Racist as a whole. Humans from mixed marriages are called Mixed Men. Elves There are four individual cultures of elves. The Elves of Phaeselis, like the orcs, dwarves, halflings, and gnomes; are from another world. All elves are working towards recreating Arvandor, the first forest. Despite being "aliens" the attitude towards humans are: "We are simply better, and don't you dare argue with us." Arcadian Elves are also called the High Elves, and are the result of Pelagasiri and Fair Elf intermarriage and interbreeding. They call themselves High because they believe that they have high culture. They are looking to create'' Arvandor'' in Arcadia, which is in Hellas, using the powers of the Arcane. Desert Elves are denizens of the desert beyond. They are elvish bedouins that wander desert lands and have pitched their tents in the wilderness from time to time. Massalian Elves are from the Fair Elven colony of Massalia and have built themselves a civilization that rivals the Arcadian Elves. They bear a grudge against the Arcadian Elves and consider them to be their ancestral enemies. The Massalian Elves are the masters of fell Demonic Magic and are looking to create Arvandor in Massalia harnessing the power and blood of demons. Olvinian Elves from the Fair Elven colony of Olivinia, and have built themselves a psionic civilization. They bear no ill will against other elves, and seek to recreate Arvandor in Olvinia using psionics and mental powers of the Mind. Pelagasiri Elves hail from the Dragon Mountains and the lands of the Kirpathian Sea. Considered to be “barbarians”, the Pelagasiri are often found in Phaeselis wearing loin cloths, harnesses, or thong bikinis. They are the first race after the deluge to master the production of steel. Male Pelagasiri tend to be heavily muscled and favor the axe, while females tend to be incredibly lean and favor the sword. Pelagasiri elves hope to recreate Arvandor by living in harmony with nature. Major Races Dwarves Although most call them “dwarves,” their own name for their race is Haurdir, the Stalwart Kings of Order. Many dwarves look like they have Asiatic features. They strongly resemble the Assyrians in look with curly beards. These dwarves are known as the Common Dwarf. A number of dwarves are filtering in from beyond the dragon mountains, and look indistinguishable to the common Hellene. They have straight hair and beards and are known as the Iron Dwarf. Halflings Although members of this race were originally called “quickling fae,” humans named them “halflings” due to their stature, and the name stuck. They are small, fair, and nimble, but their childish size does not carry with it a childish demeanor. Although originally considered a type of elf, they do not have much contact with other races of elves—in fact, they interact more with humans. Nomadic halflings often move about in roaming tribal caravans throughout the faraway lands of Bactria and Lydia. Gnomes Frequently mistaken for halflings (or the other way around), gnomes are the rarest of the major races, particularly in Phoenicia. Unlike halflings, they are more likely to consort with elves than with humans. They favor song and magic over just about anything else, often combining the two (in fact, some call them “loresong fae”). They dwell throughout the lands of Avistan, Bactria, Sardis, and the Sea Kingdoms. Use the standard rules for gnomes with this race. Half-Elves and Half-Orcs Almost all of the Half-Elves in the city were the result of the Pelagasiri Elves sacking the city 50 years ago. The Pelagasiri came in, sacked the city, and took half the inhabitants back to the Dragon Mountains and the Kirpathian Sea into captivity as slaves. Many human women were raped, and the result were half-elves. Half-orcs are the descendants of orcs from the Dragontooth or the Frostwolf clans interacting with the city’s human population on occasion. Lemurians Lemurians are humans from an ancient, before time. They are obviously Awakened (capable of Psionics). They look unearthly beautiful, and have beautiful bodies. No one knows where they came from, or perhaps when! Nagaji The Nagaji are a race of snake-like humanoids that are disturbingly human in most things. Most Nagaji are the result of the Phaeselis Phalanx Garrison adventuring in the land of Aryavarta. To help the Aryano-Hellenistic Kingdoms, Phoenicia sent many of it’s Phalanxes to aid in the destruction of the Naga Kingdom. The adventure was successful, and the Phaeselis armies brought back 10,000 Nagaji as slaves. About five thousand of them have been freed and are now living in their own enclave in the Vedic quarter. Minor Races Maenads Maenads are an emotional race. They are prone to mood swings and have minute crystals in their skin; making their skin gleam with a crystaline brillance in the sunlight. The maenads were created after a major explosion in their own lands. The explosion was successful in vaporizing an ancient Lich. Use the rules from Psionics Unleashed to create your Maenad character. Elans Elans are the result of a psionic ritual that is akin to creating a psionic lich. They can come from any race, but most are human. Currently Elans have auburne hair, and tend to look European. Proteans Proteans are able to change shape. They have no defined culture, able to adopt the culture of where they came from. They are often feared, although Proteans are often found in the red light district. Litorians Once masters of the savanna far to the south and east and wanderers of the Land East, these felines are golden maned humanoids that have attained culture. Their way of life is a nomadic life in prides, although a Litorian here and there tries to fit in to human culture. NPC Races While by no means comprehensive, the following list includes some of the more predominant nonplayer character races involved in the Phoenicia Campaign. These races are unavailable as player character race choices without permission from the DM. Aasimars: Graced with celestial blood in their veins, these fortunate scions of blessed creatures have a representative of Heaven as part of their heritage. Elves, Dark: One must delve deep into elvish history to trace the origin of this splinter race of elvenkind. Mostly subterranean, dark elves are rarely seen, although the dwarves say their people fought great underground wars with them before the Archmeniad Conquest. Sadistic and cruel, they revere evil gods who urge them toward conquest and dominance. Serpent Folk: Strange, mysterious, and powerful, Serpent folk come from pre-historic times. Jealous of the warmblooded pink-skins (humans); for destroying their empire, they seek to reclaim their former, ancient prehistoric glory. Orcs: Orcs are from another world. They called this world, the homeworld. Orcs live in tribal societies. Many orc clans are hostile to human and elf, but only the Dragontooth and Frostwolf clans are willing to deal with humans without malice or malevolence. Tieflings: These individuals have fiendish blood flowing through their veins in some small but measurable quantity. Tieflings are a rare but significant force in Phaeselis. The Unwanted: The city also is home to goblins, ratmen, and other undesirable elements. Most people consider these creatures more of an infestation than true inhabitants, though. These “residents” contribute nothing to Phoenicia, but they prey on its populace, stealing what they need to live. Category:Player's Guide